Disclaimer: English is not my first language. I'm using Grammarly to check the grammar and use Word to write it.
There are going to be a few references throughout the story, you don't need to know them as this will focus more on the Worm universe.
I play FGO EN by the way.
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September 17th, 2010.
Brockton General Hospital.
I was looking at my hands in a daze, still trying to understand the situation and desperately hoping that this was just a dream.
"Henry. Henry. Can you hear me?" The doctor asked.
I looked at the doctor standing next to my bed, "I...," I took a big breath. "Yes, I can hear you. Just...need a moment to gather my thoughts."
"Take all the time you need," The doctor said with a kind smile.
I attempted to organize my thoughts, but one question kept lingering in my head.
"How long was I in a coma?" I asked the doctor, dreading the answer.
The doctor looks at his files, "Two months."
I swallowed heavily, the answer echoing in my mind.
"I know it can be a scary moment but your parents will arrive soon. Everything will be alright," The doctor said trying to reassure me. "We might even get Panacea to check on you."
"Panacea?" I asked confused.
"Yes, she makes rounds here daily. Honestly, I worry about that girl, she spends too much time here," The doctor said.
"How is she going to help me?" I asked.
The doctor looks at me in confusion for a moment then gains a worried look.
"Do you know what city we are in right now?"
The question sent a sharp pain through my head as memories surged back all at once. I pressed my hands against my temples, trying to alleviate the pain, but it didn't help. Within moments, everything came flooding back.
Brockton Bay. Protectorate. PRT. New Wave. Earth Bet. Parahumans. Endbringers.
"Brockton Bay," I said as the pain started to go away.
The doctor checked me again after my headache went away, "Nothing seems wrong and your memories have returned. I'm going to give you some medicine for the headaches and let me know if you have any more of them. I'm going to check if your parents have arrived."
"Thank you...," I suddenly realized I didn't know his name.
"Oliver," Doctor Oliver said with a smile.
I smiled in return," Thank you doctor Oliver."
He gave me a nod and left the room.
Alone in the room, I attempted to analyze the situation, but my mind was too chaotic to focus. As much as I'd like to dismiss this as just another singularity, losbelt, or enemy attack, every fiber of my being tells me that this is real.
And that scares me.
Could all of my time in Chaldea just be an elaborate dream? Mash, Da Vinci, Goredolf, Holmes, and everyone else are just figments of my imagination.
I shook my head furiously, trying to stop that train of thought. There is one simple way to confirm the veracity of my memories. Hesitantly, I glanced at my arms and concentrated on activating my Magic circuits. I almost cried in relief as familiar blue lines started to appear.
Satisfied with the results, I found myself puzzled by what was happening. Before I could think through, the door to my room swung open.
"Henry!" A woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair and blue eyes grabbed me in a tight hug. Another pair of arms quickly follow surrounding us both in an equally tight hug, they belong to a man with short black hair, brown eyes, and a stubble medium beard.
These are my parents, Nora and Isaac Karn.
I closed my eyes and leaned into the hug. For a few minutes, the only sound in the room was the gentle sobbing of my parents. When I opened my eyes, I realized that Daisy wasn't in the room.
"Where's Daisy?" I asked.
"She is with your aunt," Isaac said after calming down.
"I was so worried, the doctors didn't know what was wrong or if you were ever going to wake up," Nora said finally letting go of Henry.
I looked at my mother in confusion, "What do you mean they didn't know what was wrong?"
"Well, all the tests they made said that you were healthy and that nothing was wrong," Isaac said.
"How exactly did I end in a coma?" I asked, feeling uneasy about the situation.
"You fell down the stairs, sweetie," Nora said, not liking to remember it. "After it you just...wouldn't wake up."
Something happened but there's too little information. I wish that Holmes was here, he would have been able to give a hypothesis on what is going on. Well, it's not the first time I'm separated from everyone, and while this is certainly...unique I already know what to do.
A summoning ritual.
"When can I leave?" I asked.
"We don't know yet," Isaac shrugs his shoulders. "I'm going to look for the doctor." I mentioned the name of the doctor who had been in my room earlier as Isaac exited.
While waiting for my father to return, I asked if anything important had happened in the last two months. My mom said that last week there was a clash between Empire 88 and the ABB, which escalated into a gang war. Besides that, it has been pretty much the same.
I tilted my head, reflecting on the heroes and villains of modern times, and couldn't help but laugh at their outlandish costumes and gimmicks. Times have certainly changed. But to be fair, my servants also wore some pretty eccentric outfits too.
We kept chatting until my father returned with Doctor Oliver. He checked me again and said since I was in, surprisingly, good shape I could return home.
My parents were delighted by the news, doctor Oliver went to get my release papers and my mother went to the car to grab the clothes they brought to me.
I made my way slowly to the bathroom in the room, my legs were a little unsteady. After removing the hospital gown, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.
Short chestnut hair, brown eyes, and an unblemished body. None of the scars I got in my adventures were there, it was a strange sight. After putting on the clothes I leave the hospital with my parents.
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As we were driving back home I took a look outside to the same gloomy atmosphere that seemed to refuse to leave Brockton Bay. This city is not a safe place to live, to put it simply, with so many villains in one place that likes to clash frequently, you end up with many innocents injured or dead.
The heroes try to bring order to Brockton Bay but they are outnumbered three to one, and no matter how much effort is made they accomplish so little. The worst part is that it's not just Brockton that is in bad shape, but so is the rest of the world.
Earth Bet is falling apart.
I smiled wearily, aware that there was still much work ahead, but that was the purpose of Chaldea. They're humanity's shield and sword.
Before I realized we had arrived home, It was an apartment building on the border between the docks and downtown, we lived on the first floor. After getting inside I looked around at the familiar yet alien apartment.
"Henry, why don't you go to your room to rest a bit while I make some food? You must be famished," Nora said as she went to the kitchen.
I nodded absentmindedly and started to head towards it. After entering I looked around to see a bed, a closet, a desk with a computer, and some posters from the Protectorate heroes.
I sat on the bed and sighed again, wishing for a few days to relax and collect my thoughts. But there's just too much to do.
'Even after defeating the alien god and restoring the world, I can't catch a break,' I thought cynically.
I heard my mother calling and headed toward the kitchen, where I saw a single plate of chicken casserole on the table.
"It's leftover from yesterday, I forgot to buy more groceries," Nora said sheepishly.
"Mom, it's fine," I said with a small smile. "Where's dad?"
"He went to get Daisy," Nora said.
I sat down at the table and took a bite of the casserole. The taste stopped me in my tracks, not because it was unpleasant, but because it evoked a deep sense of warmth and love that brought a tear to my eye.
"Is...something wrong?" Nora asked hesitantly.
I gently shook my head and wiped away the tear, "I'm just happy to be back home."
My mom smiled gently as I kept eating. After I finished, I headed to the living room to watch TV. I flipped through the channels until I landed on a report about the latest cape fight.
"-another clash between the ABB and Empire has just ended. As you can see behind me the Miss Militia, Velocity, and Dauntless managed to make both gang's capes retreat," said a middle-aged woman into a microphone.
In the background I could see the paramedics desperately working to help as many people as possible, police officers arresting gang members, firefighters trying to put out a fire in some building, cars flipped, body bags and children crying.
I focused on what the heroes were doing and was pleased by it. Velocity was taking the injured somewhere, most likely to the hospital, Miss Militia was helping the police officers with the gang members and Dauntless was rescuing the civilians that were trapped by rubble.
"Do we know who started this conflict?" Asked a man, the anchor if I were to take a guess.
"Hookwolf seems to have aggressively attacked members of the ABB until Oni Lee appeared to drive him off," said the woman.
"Do you have an Idea of how many injured?" Asked the man.
"I don't have the exact number but there are already five confirmed deaths and many more injured," Said the woman.
The man puts his finger in the ear, "I'm being informed that the PRT is calling for a press release on the growing tension. We will tu-"
I turned off the TV, feeling even more exhausted. Such scenes are sadly all too familiar in Brockton Bay. I glanced at my mother, who was watching me with concern and forced a smile.
"I'm fine Mom," I said.
She didn't seem convinced by it but before she could speak the front door opened. A child went straight towards me. She had back-length black hair and blue eyes.
This is my little sister Daisy.
"Henry!" My little sister screamed as she collided with me.
I let out a grunt from the impact but I wrapped my arms around Daisy, overjoyed to see her once more.
"Daisy you have to be careful, Henry is still recuperating," Nora lightly chastises her daughter.
Daisy pouts while I laugh and reassure Mom that everything is fine.
"It's fine honey, Daisy just missed him," Isaac said with a chuckle after closing the front door.
We spent the rest of the day talking about any nonsense that came to mind, for example, Daisy mentioned she needed to give a presentation, and that her partner was kinda of a grouch.
Her name is Missy or something.
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It was around midnight when I left the apartment to find an isolated place for the summoning ritual. It wouldn't be hard as Brockton Bay has plenty of abandoned buildings. I was wearing a hoodie to hide my face.
I was a few blocks away from my house when a trio of idiots decided to bother me. I pulled the hoodie lower and looked at them. Shaved head, an armband with 88, and a cocky attitude. Your typical empire grunt.
Once they were close enough, I quickly attacked the one that was closest to me with a jab to his jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. The other two were caught off guard, and I seized the opportunity. A chop to the neck to one's and an elbow to the face to the other's face, and it was over in an instant.
I glanced at my attackers with mild disinterest before resuming my search. Although I wasn't particularly physically strong and my magecraft was average across the board, I would never lose against idiots like that.
If I ever did and Scáthach found out, she would put me through even more intense training. I shivered at the thought, while she is a good teacher the woman is demanding.
Stopping in front of an abandoned building, I scanned the area for anyone who might interfere with what I was about to do. Seeing no one, I entered the building and made my way to the first empty room. There, I picked up a piece of metal from the floor and began drawing a summoning circle.
To perform the ritual, you would need a holy grail, which I don't currently possess. But, I do have something else. I glanced at the command spells on the back of my right hand; they began to appear a few hours after leaving the hospital.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and started the chant.
Let silver and stone be the essence.
Let Stone and the archduke of the contracts be the foundation.
Let red be the color I pay tribute to.
Let rise a wall against the Wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal Gates close.
Let the three-forked Road from the crown reaching the Kingdom rotate.
I hereby swear.
I shall be all that is good in the world.
I shall ward off all that is evil in the world.
From the seventh heaven, wielding three words of Power, come forth from the ring of control, guardian of the heavenly scales!
At the end of the incantation, the summoning circle erupted in a burst of blinding light, forcing me to shield my eyes. When the light diminished, a person was standing in the middle of the circle.
It was a woman with white hair and cold blue eyes that softened a little when she saw me. She was wearing a Black and blue outfit.
"Husband," The woman said.
"Morgan," I said with a soft smile.